THE ROCKPILE REVIEW – “How Does It Feel to Have a Quarterback?”

[Another Fan]

5 hours ago, Shaw66 said:

I so wanted Tyrod to grow into a winner. I was even rooting for him on Sunday.

He might be starting for the Jets Sunday.

 

Quite honestly on a consistent basis I think he gives them the best chance to win this year.  

[Shaw66]

7 hours ago, Rubes said:

Great post, @Shaw66. Just curious, how was the view of the game from that low in the bowl?

 

You know, I'm not sure there's a perfect place to watch a game. I loved it down there.

 

The problem, of course, is that when you're that low, even if you're on the 50, your perspective on plays inside the 20 isn't good. It's hard to tell if a run went for 2 yards or 8 yards. And stuff gets in your way, like that truck with two TV cameras on it, players on the sideline, and other stuff.

 

On the other hand, as I described, seeing the guys on the bench is interesting.  Seeing some the plays up close, like Cook's run, is really special. And something I didn't expect: The kickoffs are really interesting. The speed of the players is awesome, about 20 guys accelerating up to full speed and running into each other, and the return man flying into the pile. It was really cool.  

 

Up higher in the lower bowl, where I sit in Highmark, gives a really good view of the whole field, so from a pure game-watching point of view, it's better. But it isn't up close and personal like being low and close. A different experience. 

 

 

[Richard Noggin]

26 minutes ago, Shaw66 said:

You know, I'm not sure there's a perfect place to watch a game. I loved it down there.

 

The problem, of course, is that when you're that low, even if you're on the 50, your perspective on plays inside the 20 isn't good. It's hard to tell if a run went for 2 yards or 8 yards. And stuff gets in your way, like that truck with two TV cameras on it, players on the sideline, and other stuff.

 

On the other hand, as I described, seeing the guys on the bench is interesting.  Seeing some the plays up close, like Cook's run, is really special. And something I didn't expect: The kickoffs are really interesting. The speed of the players is awesome, about 20 guys accelerating up to full speed and running into each other, and the return man flying into the pile. It was really cool.  

 

Up higher in the lower bowl, where I sit in Highmark, gives a really good view of the whole field, so from a pure game-watching point of view, it's better. But it isn't up close and personal like being low and close. A different experience. 

 

 

 

This is always a fascinating give-and-take debate: where to sit? Sitting in first two rows feels special in that you're so close to the speed and violence and sounds and personalities, but it definitely limits one's perspective, as you described. 

 

100% agree that sitting (or honestly, these days means standing for ~97% of snaps) a little higher up in the lower bowl is ideal. Bills side, for sure. Between the 20s if you can afford it. We're at the goal line now, but high enough that our view is mostly solid. Next year we're sliding over to the 20 yard line and dropping down nearly 10 rows to ~row 20. Uncovered, so hopefully it's still an enthusiastic crowd in our immediate vicinity. Our section (and that general quadrant of the stadium from what we can tell) in recent years has a special, positive energy, culminating in absolute bedlam week one. Not much infiltration from visiting fans. Mostly consistent attendance. I'll really miss it after this year. (Sorry to hijack) 

 

*No offense to 200 or 300 folks. I have sat nearly everywhere since the 80s. Just really fancy the juice in the lower bowl. 

[Billsatlastin2018]

12 hours ago, Shaw66 said:

Thanks. Maybe I need to revise the post some, because I forgot to talk about the Jets fans.  As I said, I've been to several of these, but this time the Jets fans opened the game with about the same enthusiasm they had at the end of the game. It really seemed like they came to the stadium with no hope (and they were right - there was no hope).  They rarely made noise on third down, and they didn't have any plays to get excited about.  

 

The lack of noise and the Jets futility made it one of the more boring pro football games I've seen in a while. There was surprisingly little energy in the stadium, right from the beginning. The way I felt, and it seemed the way many people (including Jets fans) in the stadium felt, was that we were just sitting and waiting for the Bills to do something exciting, because the Jets weren't going to. 

I spent yesterday at the upstairs ballrooms of Seneca Niagara Casino with my Sis and 1000 Bills fans. The Casino put on the dog, inviting all of these fans to the equivalent of a huge tailgate- all the Usual Suspect foods and Open Bar… gratis! Quite a little partay, with 90% of the attendees bedecked in all manner of Bills gear.

 

What is eerie about what you have said here, is that after the first 10 points were celebrated, more quiet confidence, then open disinterest became the order of the day, as the result seemed the type of fait accompli, seen only a very, very few times during the Allen years.

 

Of course, people were happy, but this was not the Miracle Ravens nail biting  comeback. Rather, it was a methodical, beatdown, a boring, run out the clock whipping… and on to Miami! 

[Shaw66]

10 minutes ago, Billsatlastin2018 said:

I spent yesterday at the upstairs ballrooms of Seneca Niagara Casino with my Sis and 1000 Bills fans. The Casino put on the dog, inviting all of these fans to the equivalent of a huge tailgate- all the Usual Suspect foods and Open Bar… gratis! Quite a little partay, with 90% of the attendees bedecked in all manner of Bills gear.

 

What is eerie about what you have said here, is that after the first 10 points were celebrated, more quiet confidence, then open disinterest became the order of the day, as the result seemed the type of fait accompli, seen only a very, very few times during the Allen years.

 

Of course, people were happy, but this was not the Miracle Ravens nail biting  comeback. Rather, it was a methodical, beatdown, a boring, run out the clock whipping… and on to Miami! 

That's amazing. A great way to watch the Bills, and the perty fizzles because the game is a non-event.

[Richard Noggin]

27 minutes ago, Billsatlastin2018 said:

I spent yesterday at the upstairs ballrooms of Seneca Niagara Casino with my Sis and 1000 Bills fans. The Casino put on the dog, inviting all of these fans to the equivalent of a huge tailgate- all the Usual Suspect foods and Open Bar… gratis! Quite a little partay, with 90% of the attendees bedecked in all manner of Bills gear.

 

What is eerie about what you have said here, is that after the first 10 points were celebrated, more quiet confidence, then open disinterest became the order of the day, as the result seemed the type of fait accompli, seen only a very, very few times during the Allen years.

 

Of course, people were happy, but this was not the Miracle Ravens nail biting  comeback. Rather, it was a methodical, beatdown, a boring, run out the clock whipping… and on to Miami! 

 

15 minutes ago, Shaw66 said:

That's amazing. A great way to watch the Bills, and the perty fizzles because the game is a non-event.

 

We switched to the radio broadcast sometime after Tyrod replaced Fields, as we drove down to East Aurora to catch the final night of Borderland. The game script cooperated nicely with our plans for the day. 

[SoMAn]

19 hours ago, Shaw66 said:

“It’s great! Having a quarterback is all that matters.” Nothing else needs to be said. I told him that I’d recently heard a Bills fan say, “The Bills used to lose games they should have won. Now, the Bills win games they should lose.” That’s how it feels to have a quarterback.

 

 

 

Beautiful. well said. Yes, it does feel good (great) to have an elite signal-caller/field general. 

 

[Billsatlastin2018]

1 hour ago, SoMAn said:

“It’s great! Having a quarterback is all that matters.” Nothing else needs to be said. I told him that I’d recently heard a Bills fan say, “The Bills used to lose games they should have won. Now, the Bills win games they should lose.” That’s how it feels to have a quarterback.

Indeed.

 

My Sis said yesterday: 

 

“ I know you’re not gonna like this, but Josh reminds me of Brady!”

 

I said…” No, but on second thought, that is exactly right. The person WE used to fear, is now the person EVERYONE else now fears!”

[Sweats]

We went through QB hell for almost 20 years and those were some fairly dim and depressing times, i can tell you........i think JA came along at the right time for this franchise and honestly, it feels like JA was made for Buffalo football.

 

I know a lot of people that became Bills fans just because JA was playing for the Bills. These are also the same people who laughed at the Bills when we went through the drought, but JA has put this team on the map and made it "must see" tv every week.

 

Bravo to our FO for seeing what the rest of us didn't (don't lie.....he was the wrong Josh and you know it).

[SoMAn]

6 minutes ago, Sweats said:

We went through QB hell for almost 20 years and those were some fairly dim and depressing times, i can tell you........i think JA came along at the right time for this franchise and honestly, it feels like JA was made for Buffalo football.

 

I know a lot of people that became Bills fans just because JA was playing for the Bills. These are also the same people who laughed at the Bills when we went through the drought, but JA has put this team on the map and made it "must see" tv every week.

 

Bravo to our FO for seeing what the rest of us didn't (don't lie.....he was the wrong Josh and you know it).

I'm far from an expert on college talent, but my instincts told me that Josh Rosen would be a bust.  He seemed arrogant and too self-centered to be a successful leader in the NFL.

I didn't know too much about Allen other than what I read and some short video clips leading up to the 2018 draft. There were different opinions.  He seemed like he had the sort of farm boy good work ethic that is needed. He was smart and had the raw talent. The big issues were not much big school competition and problems with his mechanics. It was a gamble. 

Fortunately, the Bills saw his potential and were more than lucky that he fell to the 7th pick. 

I still get a kick out of that video from 2018 in which the Bills-supporter draftniks attending the annual draft go apoplectic over the Allen pick when it wasn't 'their Josh'.  

[Marcus Aurelius]

20 hours ago, Shaw66 said:

I so wanted Tyrod to grow into a winner. I was even rooting for him on Sunday.

I wouldn't go that far!

[Shaw66]

19 hours ago, HappyDays said:

Funny enough I've been asking myself over the past few years what it would be like to have an elite pass rusher. Von showed us a glimpse before his injury, but other than that we have been lacking this major component of the championship formula that other contenders have had.

 

Well, Bosa's performance in this game showed me what it's like. Beyond his on paper production which itself was eye popping, his constant disruption whether it got home or not was getting in Fields' head and made him completely ineffective. There were flashes of it in week 1 and now we've gotten the full vision. It's been a long time since I could say a Bills player other than Allen took over a game and made it effectively impossible for the opponent to stay in it.

 

Bosa and Oliver look like they could be a major problem this year if they can just stay healthy together. I'm desperately hoping we lock up the #1 seed early so we can let them rest and have them full steam ahead entering the playoffs. Those guys wreaking havoc around the QB could be the missing element we need to finally get over the hump.

Yes, Hap, you have been kind of a broken record on the subject, and it was hard to argue with you. McDermott's defensive line has been loaded with guys who are very good at handling their assignments but few guys who can create on their own. Rousseau is the highest level example of that - he's really good at his position, consistent pass rush that is a bother but doesn't get home much, excellent run stopping and pursuit, but he isn't a problem. Nobody on the line has been a problem except, as you say, Miller.

 

As I said, my seats were low and I didn't spend much time trying to focus on any particular player - White a little, Bosa a little, but mostly I was just watching the play go by.  However, as the game went along and I just watched the plays, I kept seeing someone on the d line flash by, and every time I checked, it was Bosa. He was coming off the line, bursting off the line, immediately putting the blocker on the defensive. He just kept flashing into and out of my view. It was pretty clear that the Jets felt his presence on a lot of plays when he didn't actually make a play. 

 

And, of course, he can finish. The punch out to cause the fumble was beautiful, not to mention his pursuit on the play. 

 

All of it is what you and I have talked about often - another difference maker beyond Allen, a guy who is disruptive and who forces the offense to account for him on every play. 

 

The question is can he harness his creative energy within the system, so that he's both disruptive and responsible for his assignment. He got burned more than once against the Ravens, crashing down the line to pursue the running back while Jackson kept the ball and ran past him to open field. I think he can. 

 

He was so animated on the bench in the fourth quarter. He played all those  years on a team that was, in my view, mid-level dysfunctional. The Chargers always pretended to be good but never had what it takes to actually be good. Now he finds himself on a team where he's welcome and appreciated, and a team that actually is good. On the bench, he looked like he was celebrating the fact that his career has taken him to what may be the perfect place for him: a contender that will platoon him and that will look for ways for him to use his special talents. 

[Ayjent]

26 minutes ago, Shaw66 said:

Yes, Hap, you have been kind of a broken record on the subject, and it was hard to argue with you. McDermott's defensive line has been loaded with guys who are very good at handling their assignments but few guys who can create on their own. Rousseau is the highest level example of that - he's really good at his position, consistent pass rush that is a bother but doesn't get home much, excellent run stopping and pursuit, but he isn't a problem. Nobody on the line has been a problem except, as you say, Miller.

 

As I said, my seats were low and I didn't spend much time trying to focus on any particular player - White a little, Bosa a little, but mostly I was just watching the play go by.  However, as the game went along and I just watched the plays, I kept seeing someone on the d line flash by, and every time I checked, it was Bosa. He was coming off the line, bursting off the line, immediately putting the blocker on the defensive. He just kept flashing into and out of my view. It was pretty clear that the Jets felt his presence on a lot of plays when he didn't actually make a play. 

 

And, of course, he can finish. The punch out to cause the fumble was beautiful, not to mention his pursuit on the play. 

 

All of it is what you and I have talked about often - another difference maker beyond Allen, a guy who is disruptive and who forces the offense to account for him on every play. 

 

The question is can he harness his creative energy within the system, so that he's both disruptive and responsible for his assignment. He got burned more than once against the Ravens, crashing down the line to pursue the running back while Jackson kept the ball and ran past him to open field. I think he can. 

 

He was so animated on the bench in the fourth quarter. He played all those  years on a team that was, in my view, mid-level dysfunctional. The Chargers always pretended to be good but never had what it takes to actually be good. Now he finds himself on a team where he's welcome and appreciated, and a team that actually is good. On the bench, he looked like he was celebrating the fact that his career has taken him to what may be the perfect place for him: a contender that will platoon him and that will look for ways for him to use his special talents. 

I used to hate when the Bills played the Chargers because Bosa was disruptive and I believe may have even given Josh a pretty good pummeling a few times.  The Bills just played two of the most elusive QBs they'll face to start the season.  Jackson is on another level compared to Fields, but Fields can really move too.  It is hard to keep contain on these guys and rush lane integrity as you are fighting to get by the OL.  I'll take losing contain a few times if it means getting sacks and fumbles, because keeping contain without getting home allows a guy to be comfortable in the pocket and that doesn't usually bode well for the back end.  If Sanders and Walker develop, Oliver keeps up his level of play and the guys coming off of suspension contribute meaningfully, they are going to be formidable and much different by the end of the season than when they played the Ravens.

[Shaw66]

2 minutes ago, Ayjent said:

I used to hate when the Bills played the Chargers because Bosa was disruptive and I believe may have even given Josh a pretty good pummeling a few times.  The Bills just played two of the most elusive QBs they'll face to start the season.  Jackson is on another level compared to Fields, but Fields can really move too.  It is hard to keep contain on these guys and rush lane integrity as you are fighting to get by the OL.  I'll take losing contain a few times if it means getting sacks and fumbles, because keeping contain without getting home allows a guy to be comfortable in the pocket and that doesn't usually bode well for the back end.  If Sanders and Walker develop, Oliver keeps up his level of play and the guys coming off of suspension contribute meaningfully, they are going to be formidable and much different by the end of the season than when they played the Ravens.

I keep thinking the rookies will improve, and they probably will, and I keep forgetting that two veterans are coming off suspension. If the Bills can be at something close to full strength, they are going to be throwing an amazing variety of skill sets at offensive lines, with different combinations of guys playing, and with them rotating positions.  Offensive linemen will be facing three or four or even five different guys over the course of the game, all with different skill sets. 

[GaryPinC]

2 hours ago, Ayjent said:

I used to hate when the Bills played the Chargers because Bosa was disruptive and I believe may have even given Josh a pretty good pummeling a few times.  The Bills just played two of the most elusive QBs they'll face to start the season.  Jackson is on another level compared to Fields, but Fields can really move too.  It is hard to keep contain on these guys and rush lane integrity as you are fighting to get by the OL.  I'll take losing contain a few times if it means getting sacks and fumbles, because keeping contain without getting home allows a guy to be comfortable in the pocket and that doesn't usually bode well for the back end.  If Sanders and Walker develop, Oliver keeps up his level of play and the guys coming off of suspension contribute meaningfully, they are going to be formidable and much different by the end of the season than when they played the Ravens.

Most importantly, finally McDermott is willing to let the defensive young guys develop on the field through adversity knowing what's down the road.    

[Ray Stonada]

I've never been to Met Life; this made me want to go. Thanks, Shaw!

[Ayjent]

3 hours ago, GaryPinC said:

Most importantly, finally McDermott is willing to let the defensive young guys develop on the field through adversity knowing what's down the road.    

To do that they must have earned the coaching staff's trust, because we have seen guys that have not and later we come to understand why.  Maybe they've changed their approach some (out of necessity or out of changing the recipe to see what happens), but I don't think they'd do anything to disrespect the other players efforts at other positions or on the depth chart at the same position.

 

I like Walker's potential and think he'll be a great player for the Bills.  I think games are the most teachable moments if you can afford them and the player isn't a disaster when they are out there.  I also think it lets them show what they can do well, and how to tweak their game and the D to those strengths.

 

[billsfan89]

9 hours ago, Sweats said:

We went through QB hell for almost 20 years and those were some fairly dim and depressing times, i can tell you........i think JA came along at the right time for this franchise and honestly, it feels like JA was made for Buffalo football.

 

I know a lot of people that became Bills fans just because JA was playing for the Bills. These are also the same people who laughed at the Bills when we went through the drought, but JA has put this team on the map and made it "must see" tv every week.

 

Bravo to our FO for seeing what the rest of us didn't (don't lie.....he was the wrong Josh and you know it).

 

I actually thought I was a "wrong Josh" guy for years. I don't know why I remember liking Rosen in the draft process more than Josh (I actually liked Lamar with no trade up better than trading up for either) but my posts at the time weren't thinking "wrong Josh". I recently looked back at the initial thread of when Josh was drafted back in 2018 and I saw that I actually liked the pick at the time. I was concerned about his accuracy issues but thought he could work it out. I also liked the Bills staying put at 12 and drafting Lamar as I thought his ceiling was Eagles Mike Vick which is a good comp even if he has exceeded that a touch. 

 

I'm super glad to have Josh here, I hope we could at least get one Super Bowl with him here, because teams rarely get a good QB to come around let alone a great one...

[Shaw66]

1 hour ago, billsfan89 said:

 

I actually thought I was a "wrong Josh" guy for years.

This is literally true: I was watching the draft, expecting Darnold and Mayfield to go early, and hoping that if the Bills got a chance to get a QB it would be Rosen. I wasn't a big Rosen guy, but I thought at least he'd stabilize things and move the franchise forward. But like others, his attitude bothered me. He was so smug, so confident in himself and so obnoxious telling us all.  Allen's perceived question marks scared me. Then the trade up happened, the message went up saying the pick was in, and suddenly I just flipped. My brain started screaming, "TAKE THE TALENT!  TAKE THE TALENT!!!  TAKE ALLEN!!!"  

 

I'd like to say I knew what was coming from Allen, but I didn't. It was purely my gut, and I have no idea where it came from.

 

 

[Rocky Landing]

On 9/15/2025 at 11:05 AM, Shaw66 said:

I so wanted Tyrod to grow into a winner. I was even rooting for him on Sunday.

I agree with you. That said, he's had a pretty good career as one of the best backups in the league for many years.

 

One of your better essays, btw. Very much enjoyed reading it. 👍